What Makes A Shinobi
by SincerelyShania
Summary: Sasuke had eventually achieved a delicate state of being; he managed to conquer the darkness and creep through it thanks to the few beacons of light he had in his life. Upon finding himself back in his homeland for some well-needed reflection, his thoughts on his past seem to center heavily around a certain pink-haired kunoichi who helped him learn what it meant to be a shinobi.


" _A Shinobi is he who endures."_ These words created a new path that Sasuke Uchiha could walk along; the road to vengeance became less tempting than a road to redemption. If a shinobi was someone who endured, whether it be pain or hatred, then surely, he figured, he was one of the finest ninja to ever stumble through the shadows. At the time that he was blessed with the answers he longed to find—answers that would determine the course that his life would take then-forth—he did not comprehend the depth of the words or the true meaning behind them, although he was far too blinded by the darkness to come to this realization. So, he dragged his feet forward, moving in an all-new direction but still wandering aimlessly in the end.

As the Sharingan user stood atop the gate to the Hidden Leaf Village, he reflected upon his past-self, pondering over where his travels would take him next. Approximately fifteen years had come and gone since his second departure from his home land; unlike the first time that he turned his back toward the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he did not view the civilization as an obstacle that blocked his way but instead as a piece of him that he was driven to protect.

He sighed audibly. "Every time I return to this place, troublesome feelings come rushing back to me." Carefully scanning the surrounding area with his visual prowess, he relaxed his gaze in response to there being no immediate danger. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, the Uchiha took in the image of his home: The streets bustled with activity despite the sun having begun to set. Scattered here and there, off-duty shinobi, not just from the Leaf Village but from foreign places as well, laughed and chatted like old friends. Children rushed through the crowds, probably late to dinner or off to cause trouble for some unsuspecting victims. In the dim, remaining brilliance given off by sun, the village lights illuminated the events unfolding from within the twilight. It appeared almost as if the hatred that plagued the shinobi world in the years leading up to the Fourth Great Ninja War had never existed in the first place. Konohagakure was alive with smiles and peace, the shadows of the past in no way conquering the passionately raging fires of the present.

Unsure of what direction to push forward in next, Sasuke had subconsciously found himself home once again. He needed to rekindle a spark within the fog of darkness that he dwelled in, as to not become blinded and lose his way like he had in the past. Before he knew it, his feet halted carrying him through the jungle of buildings and he stood at yet another entrance. He had come a long way from the ignorant, easily manipulated young man that he once was; however, this place still managed to shake the confidence that he built up for himself. Time may have healed all wounds, but there was not a limit to just how long a wound could feel relatively fresh.

Sasuke inhaled deeply before slowly stepping foot into what used to be the residential province of the Uchiha clan. Everyone that he loved at one time had been slaughtered on the very land that he walked upon; because of this, each step that the Sharingan user took through the largely vacant maze of streets increased the amount of unease that manifested in his stomach. To spare himself some of the agony that he originally believed he could take in stride, he swiftly leapt to the top of one of the various tall, metal transmission towers dispersed throughout the village. From here, the little illumination from within the Uchiha residential area boundaries caught his eye. He knew exactly where the light was coming from—the only home amongst all those abandoned that still held residents: Yes, it was the home that he and his former teammate shared.

" _Sakura…"_ the Uchiha thought to himself, the knot in his stomach loosening ever so slightly. He could see the woman who he had decided to give his last name to lying out on the deck that enclosed most of the house. Under her rested a light green towel, and she gazed up toward the hastily darkening sky, her eyes seeming to sparkle in a nearly perfect imitation of the stars twinkling in the late-evening Heavens. She smiled gently into the nothingness above with one leg crossed over the other and her right foot softly and rhythmically tapping her left knee.

A sorrowful frown quickly replaced a slight grin that had made its way onto Sasuke's face while admiring Sakura from afar. _"You're enduring for my sake again, aren't you…?"_ he thought to himself. Tilting his head upward as if to gaze at the stars, the Sharingan user sat atop the transmission tower and allowed his eyes to slide shut before submitting his current reality to the memories of his past.


End file.
